Enactive Strategy

Now honestly, which path is your company pursuing? 7 companies drive the performance of the S&P 500 stock index. All of them are advantaged. Advantage built upon foundations of large and meaningful differences. The rest of the S&P? Well, most of them seem to be chasing more and more sameness. It's not surprising. Human beings are natural copiers. Most of us like that someone else has taken the risk and paved the way. And companies are no different. Most are followers. They're the ones who ask about "best practices" - a phrase that makes me cringe. They seek "excellence" without understanding that excellence cannot be found in the sameness of best practices. The innovators—the difference makers—don't care about someone else's best practices. They create their own. They do what others are unwilling or unable to do. They are led with the courage to be different. They dare to be different. The aspiration to create large and meaningful differences is where truly great strategy is found. That's why it's uncomfortable. That's why it's so rare and beautiful. Now honestly, which path is your company pursuing? #leadership #strategy --------------- I'm Alex Nesbitt. I help leaders connect strategy to action. DM for strategy consults. 💡 If you like this way of thinking, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 on Strategic Thinking for Advantage. Secure a seat while you can: https://lnkd.in/gUxjvrjP

Closing the gap between your operational reality and your strategic vision is always a challenge. Even with a solid strategy, realizing your vision becomes much harder if you rely on a top-down, waterfall approach. Typically, plans are decided by the top, turned into initiatives, and then "communicated through the hierarchy." This approach suffers from a critical oversight - it's not grounded in the reality of the front line. For example, one company wanted to leverage its full inventory of spare parts to meet customer demand - sounds good, but not so easy when the information about the parts is spread across 4 ERP systems that don't talk to one another. Real-life barriers to getting things done, communication silos, psychological or physical safety issues, and lack of proper tooling, training, etc. all affect your ability to implement. Here are some practical tips to bridge this gap: ➡ 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: Treat strategy like a service you provide to your team. A high-quality strategy is an act of good leadership. ➡ 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬: Your employees are the customers of your strategy. Serve them well by addressing their needs and concerns. ➡ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: To foster new behaviors, understand the current ones. Find out why existing behaviors persist and what might prevent new ones from taking root. ➡ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫: Clearly define the new behaviors essential for success. Make this connection explicit in your strategy. ➡ 𝐓𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Different people are in different places mentally and physically. Communicate with them where they are. ➡ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬: Local leaders can convey messages more effectively than centralized figures. ➡ 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Demonstrate the strategy in action. Showing is often more powerful than telling. And always remember that the strategy is not the goal - it's a tool to help you realize the goal via the potential of your people. 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬: Which of these tips resonates with you? #leadership #strategy --------------- I'm Alex Nesbitt. I help leaders connect strategy to action. DM for strategy consults. 💡 If you like this way of thinking, 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 on Strategic Thinking for Advantage. Secure a seat while you can: https://lnkd.in/gTt7BnZQ

Tom's calendar was a mess when we started working together. He was spending almost all of this time in reactive mode. The business was driving him. And he was on a clear path to burnout. Together, we changed both how he worked and how the business worked. It requires a lot of humility, hard work, and hard thinking to accomplish, but the results can be stunning. We started by implementing Management Monday. And after about 10 months his calendar was under control. He went from being reactive to being strategic. And the business transformation that ensued was pretty remarkable. Revenues grew by 7.5x, and EBITDA grew 75x. The numbers would have been bigger, but he eventually decided to sell the business for over $600 million. Remember: Events drive the reactive leader's calendar. The enactive leader's calendar is driven by intent. ----------- 💡 I'm Alex Nesbitt. I help leaders connect strategy with action. Get started here: https://lnkd.in/gAnwgsiA

The 7S Framework is one of McKinsey's premier strategy tools. And while the framework is not strictly MECE (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive), it is holistic. It aims to balance seven key elements: Strategy, Structure, Systems, Shared Values, Style, Staff, and Skills. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 7𝐒 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧: 🎯 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘺: This is your game plan for winning. It needs to be adaptable and ready to evolve as the market changes. 🏗️ 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦: Think of this as your company's skeleton. It's how everyone is organized and how they interact. Design the structure to facilitate decisions that are more aligned with the strategy. ⚙️ 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴: These are the processes that keep your company running smoothly. From technology to human resources, systems are the lifeblood of your day-to-day operations. Make sure the systems support the strategy. ❤️ 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴: At the heart of everything are your core values. They're what your company stands for and believes in. These values guide your decisions and shape your company culture. Explicitly resolve value conflicts that can confuse the organization. 🌟 𝘚𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦: This is all about your company culture – the way things are done in your organization. It's important to have a style that supports your strategy and encourages a positive working environment. 👥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘧𝘧: Your team is your most valuable asset. Focus not just on talent but also on having coachable people with diverse backgrounds to improve decision-making. 💡 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴: Finally, consider the capabilities your organization needs to execute your strategy effectively. Having the right expertise, whether in-house or outsourced, is crucial. Don't develop a #strategy in isolation - integrate it with the other elements. Use the 7 elements like a roadmap for designing the conditions for success. Which element do you think is most important for success? --------- 💡 I'm Alex Nesbitt. I help leaders connect strategy to action. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 is my masterclass on being more strategic. Secure a seat while you can: https://lnkd.in/g-6BiTMK

Most people make a huge mistake when they use the Play to Win framework for strategy. They treat it like a linear process to answer the key questions: 1. What is our winning aspiration? 2. Where will we play? 3. How will we win? 4. What capabilities must be in place? 5. What management systems are required? They start at the top and work their way down the list without any learning loops. Even worse, they treat it like a hierarchy, where bosses answer question one and pass it on to the next layer, and so on. Don't do that. The framework has two-way arrows to ensure fit and feedback for fine-tuning. Treat it like a learning loop, and you will produce better strategy. BTW - this is not the only mistake people make but it's a doozy. What other mistakes have you seen when using the Play to Win framework? --------------- 💡 Like this kind of thinking -> check out my masterclass 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. Secure a seat while you can: https://lnkd.in/gRe86K4f --------------- I'm Alex Nesbitt. Follow me if you want to activate your strategic brain. Until next time, be someone who happens to the world - Be Enactive 🌟